Roasted butternut squash soup with a little cashew milk

This version uses ½ cup cashew milk, ¼ teaspoon fine salt, ⅛ teaspoon MSG, and just ½ teaspoon cider vinegar for the entire pot. It keeps Love & Lemons’ squash, onion, garlic, sage, rosemary, ginger, and total olive oil amounts; roasting replaces the initial squash sauté and most of the simmering.

Source recipe: Love & Lemons — Butternut Squash Soup

Time: Allow about 55–65 minutes, including roughly 20 minutes of hands-on work. This is an estimate for the adapted method.

Servings: Six equal portions by finished weight, at approximately 150 calories each using the ingredient weights below. The exact grams per portion depend on evaporation and how much broth you use; the weighing method is below.

Ingredients

Squash-weight clarification: Love & Lemons specifies a roughly 3-pound whole squash. Its recipe developer confirms that approximately 2½ pounds of prepared squash works. Weighing the flesh avoids counting discarded skin and seeds as food. (Source recipe)

For the broth, Pacific Foods Low Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth is a suitable reference: its label lists 10 calories and 120 mg sodium per 240 mL. For the cashew milk, the calculation uses Silk Unsweet Cashewmilk, with 25 calories and 150 mg sodium per 240 mL. Equivalent products are fine; use their package labels when they differ. (Pacific Foods; Silk)

Instructions

1. Roast the squash

Heat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two sheets if needed to give the cubes some space.

Toss the prepared squash thoroughly with 1 tablespoon of the measured olive oil. Spread it in one layer. Do not add extra oil or salt beyond the ingredient list.

Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning the cubes around halfway through. Start checking at 30 minutes: the edges should be golden brown, and a fork should slide easily through the centers. Continue a little longer if necessary. This follows Love & Lemons’ separate roasting method, with a little flexibility in timing for your oven and cube size. (Roasting method)

2. Soften the onion while the squash finishes roasting

When the squash has roughly 10 minutes left, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir occasionally for 5–8 minutes, until the onion is soft. Avoid letting it turn dark brown. If it is ready before the squash, take the pot off the heat temporarily.

3. Add the aromatics, squash, and broth

With the pot over medium heat, stir in the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant.

Add the roasted squash, scraping in any clinging oil, followed by 2½ cups / 600 mL broth. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and lower the heat. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.

The squash is already cooked, so you do not need the original recipe’s longer simmer. Any pieces that are still firm should be allowed to soften fully before blending.

4. Blend with the cashew milk

Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Add the ½ cup / 120 mL cashew milk, then blend until completely smooth.

For a countertop blender, work in batches and follow its hot-liquid instructions, allowing steam to escape. Do not use a sealed smoothie cup for hot soup. An immersion blender also works; take enough time to eliminate small vegetable pieces.

Return the blended soup to the pot.

5. Adjust the thickness

Stir in the reserved broth ¼ cup / 60 mL at a time, using up to the full additional cup.

Stop when the soup pours easily but still coats a spoon. You do not have to use all the reserved broth. The total liquid will be 3–4 cups, including the cashew milk—not 3–4 cups of broth plus the milk.

Warm gently as needed.

6. Add the tiny finishing seasonings

Stir in ⅛ teaspoon MSG until dissolved. Turn off the heat, then stir in ½ teaspoon apple-cider vinegar.

Taste a spoonful after it has cooled enough to judge properly. These are deliberately restrained additions; do not automatically add more vinegar or MSG. Add another small pinch of salt only if the soup genuinely needs it.

Serve plain or with a little parsley. Any extra salt, oil, seeds, or bread should be counted separately.

Calories and serving size

Calculated estimate: approximately 900 calories for the entire pot, or 150 calories per sixth of the finished batch.

That calculation assumes the stated raw, edible ingredient weights, the two reference products, and all 3½ cups / 840 mL of broth. It counts the full olive oil amount rather than guessing how much might remain on the baking sheet.

The squash, onion, oil, and garlic figures use USDA Standard Reference data reproduced by MyFoodData; the liquid figures come from the manufacturers’ labels. The small-seasoning allowance avoids pretending that spoonfuls of fresh herbs have precisely known weights. (MyFoodData — raw butternut squash; Pacific Foods; Silk)

Using only the initial 2½ cups of broth reduces the total to approximately 890 calories, or 148 calories per sixth. That difference is small enough that 150 per sixth remains a sensible logging estimate.

What exactly is one serving?

One serving is one-sixth of the finished soup’s weight, excluding the pot. It is not automatically one cup or a fixed number of grams.

After blending and making the final liquid adjustment, weigh the soup in a tared container—or subtract the empty pot’s weight from the filled pot’s weight, provided your scale can safely handle it. Stir thoroughly, then divide the net weight by six.

For example:

These are examples, not promised yields. Defining servings this way accounts for the water lost during roasting and simmering without requiring you to dilute the soup to an arbitrary target weight.

For a bowl of any size:

Bowl calories ≈ 900 × bowl weight in grams ÷ finished batch weight in grams.

So, if the finished soup weighs 2,000 g, a 400 g bowl is approximately 180 calories.

The arithmetic is reproducible, but the result is still a food-composition estimate: squash naturally varies, and package labels are rounded. About 150 calories per sixth of this measured-ingredient batch is the useful number—not a claim of laboratory precision.

Sodium

With the reference broth and milk, 1.5 g salt, and 0.5 g MSG, the calculated estimate is approximately 200 mg sodium per sixth of the pot, before extra seasoning or toppings. The main contributions to the whole batch are about 420 mg from broth, 75 mg from cashew milk, 590 mg from salt, and 60 mg from MSG, plus the small amount naturally present in the vegetables. MSG contributes sodium; it is not sodium-free. (Pacific Foods; Silk)

Roasted butternut squash soup — Fx batch

This version is for your 3 lb 3 oz / approximately 1,446 g of already-roasted squash, made from 7½ lb of whole squash with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Use an estimated f ≈ 2.5 for the remaining ingredients. It uses 2½ cups cashew milk, keeping the creamier proportions of the tripled recipe.

Roasting is complete. Continue at step 2. The oil already used counts toward the recipe’s total; only 2 tablespoons olive oil remain to be added.

Source recipe: Love & Lemons — Butternut Squash Soup

Time remaining: About 20–30 minutes, depending on vegetable preparation, pot size, and blender batches.

Servings: Fifteen equal portions by finished weight, at roughly 152 calories each under the assumptions below. Because the raw prepared squash weight and retained roasting oil are unknown, the nutrition figures are estimates.

How f was chosen

The original recipe calls for 2½ lb / 1,134 g of raw squash after peeling and removing the seeds. Your 3 lb 3 oz is weighed after roasting and includes some oil. These weights describe different stages: peeling removes material, roasting removes water, and oil adds weight. Dividing 3.1875 lb by 2.5 lb would give 1.275, but that would treat water lost in the oven as missing squash.

The exact factor would be raw peeled and seeded squash weight before roasting ÷ 2½ lb. That weight was not recorded, and the discarded peel and seeds are no longer available, so an exact factor cannot be recovered from the cooked weight alone.

USDA’s Food Buying Guide estimates that 1 lb of whole butternut squash yields 0.84 lb of raw prepared squash. Applying that estimate gives:

Estimated f = (7.5 lb whole × 0.84) ÷ 2.5 lb raw prepared = 2.52.

Use f ≈ 2.5 for cooking. Rounding 2.52 to 2.5 changes the scaled amounts by less than 1%, while the actual peeling yield is uncertain. This also agrees closely with the source recipe’s roughly 3 lb whole squash for one original batch: 7.5 ÷ 3 = 2.5. (USDA preparation yield; source recipe)

The roasted weight tells us how much cooked squash to put in the pot. It does not tell us how much water evaporated. Adjust the reserved broth to the soup’s actual thickness rather than trying to undo that unknown water loss with a guessed roasting percentage.

Ingredients

Oil already used: Some of the roasting oil stayed in the tossing bowl or on the trays. Its retained amount cannot be measured now, so count all 3 tablespoons toward the oil budget and add the remaining 2 tablespoons. Do not add extra oil to replace an unknown amount left behind. Scrape any recoverable roasting oil into the soup with the squash.

Cashew milk proportion: The creamier recipe uses 1 cup cashew milk per original batch unit, twice the original recipe’s ½ cup. At f ≈ 2.5, that is 2½ cups. The initial broth, optional broth, and milk are all scaled by the same factor, keeping the tripled version’s milk-to-liquid ratio at the same degree of thinning. The finished soup’s water content still depends on roasting and simmering.

For the broth, the calculation uses Pacific Foods Low Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth, with 10 calories and 120 mg sodium per 240 mL. For the milk, it uses Silk Unsweet Cashewmilk, with 25 calories and 150 mg sodium per 240 mL. Use your package labels if they differ. (Pacific Foods; Silk)

Instructions

1. Roasting is complete

Keep all 3 lb 3 oz / approximately 1,446 g of roasted squash for the soup. The 3 tablespoons roasting oil have already been added. Continue with the onion; there is no further roasting step.

2. Soften the onion

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion, ⅝ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir occasionally for 5–8 minutes, until the onion is soft. Avoid letting it turn dark brown; allow a little longer if needed for this larger quantity.

3. Add the aromatics, squash, and broth

Stir in the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant.

Add all the roasted squash, scraping in any recoverable roasting oil, followed by 6¼ cups / 1,500 mL broth. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and lower the heat. Simmer for 5–10 minutes. If your pot is too full, divide the ingredients between pots.

The squash is already cooked. Any pieces that are still firm should soften fully before blending.

4. Blend with the cashew milk

Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Add 2½ cups / 600 mL cashew milk, then blend until completely smooth.

For a countertop blender, work in batches and follow its hot-liquid instructions, allowing steam to escape. Do not use a sealed smoothie cup for hot soup. An immersion blender also works; take enough time to eliminate small vegetable pieces.

Return the blended soup to the pot or a large heat-safe vessel.

5. Adjust the thickness

Stir in reserved broth ⅝ cup / 150 mL at a time, using up to the additional 2½ cups / 600 mL.

Stop when the soup pours easily but still coats a spoon. You do not have to use all the reserved broth. The added liquid will total 8¾–11¼ cups / 2,100–2,700 mL, including the cashew milk.

Warm gently as needed.

6. Add the finishing seasonings

Stir in 5/16 teaspoon MSG (¼ teaspoon plus half of ⅛ teaspoon) until dissolved. Turn off the heat, then stir in 1¼ teaspoons apple-cider vinegar.

Taste a spoonful after it has cooled enough to judge properly. These are deliberately restrained additions; do not automatically add more vinegar or MSG. Add another small pinch of salt only if needed.

Serve plain or with a little parsley. Any extra salt, oil, seeds, or bread should be counted separately.

Calories and serving size

Rough estimate: approximately 2,280 calories for the entire batch, or 152 calories per fifteenth.

This uses f ≈ 2.5, an estimated 6¼ lb / 2,835 g of raw prepared squash before roasting, the reference products, all 8¾ cups / 2,100 mL of broth, and all 5 tablespoons of oil added across roasting and sautéing. It does not apply the raw squash calorie density to the cooked squash weight. Some roasting oil was left behind, so counting all of it may overstate the calories actually eaten.

The squash, onion, oil, and garlic figures use the same food-composition values as the original recipe; broth and milk figures come from the package labels. The raw squash amount here is inferred, not measured. (MyFoodData — raw butternut squash; Pacific Foods; Silk)

Using only the initial 6¼ cups of broth reduces the estimate to approximately 2,260 calories, or 151 calories per fifteenth. Uncertainty in the squash yield and retained oil matters more than that small broth difference.

What exactly is one serving?

One serving is one-fifteenth of the finished soup’s weight, excluding the pot. After the final liquid adjustment, stir thoroughly, weigh the soup in a tared container, and divide its net weight by fifteen. If weighing the filled pot, subtract the empty pot’s weight and make sure the scale can safely handle it.

These are examples, not promised yields. For a bowl of any size:

Bowl calories ≈ 2,280 × bowl weight in grams ÷ actual finished batch weight in grams.

If the finished soup weighs 4,200 g, a 400 g bowl is approximately 217 calories under these assumptions. Weighing portions improves consistency, but it cannot recover the unknown raw squash weight or retained oil.

Sodium

With the reference products, 3.75 g salt, 1.25 g MSG, and all the reserved broth, the estimate is about 210 mg sodium per fifteenth, before extra seasoning or toppings. The main contributions to the whole batch are approximately 1,050 mg from broth, 375 mg from cashew milk, 1,475 mg from salt, and 150 mg from MSG, plus sodium naturally present in the vegetables. MSG contributes sodium. (Pacific Foods; Silk)

Roasted butternut squash soup with a little cashew milk

This tripled batch uses 3 cups cashew milk—about twice the milk proportion of the previous doubled batch—for a creamier soup. The squash, vegetables, herbs, oil, broth, and seasonings are tripled from the original recipe; the extra cashew milk is included in the calculations below.

Source recipe: Love & Lemons — Butternut Squash Soup

Time: Allow about 55–75 minutes, including roughly 25 minutes of hands-on work. Add time if the squash needs to roast in waves or the soup needs extra blender batches.

Servings: Eighteen equal portions by finished weight, at approximately 152 calories each using the ingredient weights below. The exact grams per portion depend on evaporation and how much broth you use; the weighing method is below.

Ingredients

Squash-weight clarification: Love & Lemons specifies a roughly 3-pound whole squash. Its recipe developer confirms that approximately 2½ pounds of prepared squash works for the source recipe; this tripled version uses 7½ pounds of prepared squash. Weighing the flesh avoids counting discarded skin and seeds as food. (Source recipe)

For the broth, Pacific Foods Low Sodium Organic Vegetable Broth is a suitable reference: its label lists 10 calories and 120 mg sodium per 240 mL. For the cashew milk, the calculation uses Silk Unsweet Cashewmilk, with 25 calories and 150 mg sodium per 240 mL. Equivalent products are fine; use their package labels when they differ. (Pacific Foods; Silk)

Instructions

1. Roast the squash

Heat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line three large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a fourth if needed to give the cubes some space, and keep them in one layer. If all the sheets do not fit with room for hot air to circulate, roast them in waves.

Toss the prepared squash thoroughly with 3 tablespoons of the measured olive oil. Spread it in one layer. Do not add extra oil or salt beyond the ingredient list.

Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning the cubes around halfway through. Start checking at 30 minutes: the edges should be golden brown, and a fork should slide easily through the centers. Continue a little longer if necessary. This follows Love & Lemons’ separate roasting method, with a little flexibility in timing for your oven and cube size. (Roasting method)

2. Soften the onion while the squash finishes roasting

When the squash has roughly 10 minutes left, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir occasionally for 5–8 minutes, until the onion is soft. Avoid letting it turn dark brown. If it is ready before the squash, take the pot off the heat temporarily.

3. Add the aromatics, squash, and broth

With the pot over medium heat, stir in the garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger. Cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant. If your pot is too full, split this step and the simmer between pots.

Add the roasted squash, scraping in any clinging oil, followed by 7½ cups / 1,800 mL broth. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and lower the heat. Simmer for 5–10 minutes.

The squash is already cooked, so you do not need the original recipe’s longer simmer. Any pieces that are still firm should be allowed to soften fully before blending.

4. Blend with the cashew milk

Take the pot off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Add the 3 cups / 720 mL cashew milk, then blend until completely smooth.

For a countertop blender, work in batches and follow its hot-liquid instructions, allowing steam to escape. Do not use a sealed smoothie cup for hot soup. An immersion blender also works; take enough time to eliminate small vegetable pieces.

Return the blended soup to the pot or a large heat-safe vessel.

5. Adjust the thickness

Stir in the reserved broth ¾ cup / 180 mL at a time, using up to the full additional 3 cups.

Stop when the soup pours easily but still coats a spoon. You do not have to use all the reserved broth. The total liquid will be 10½–13½ cups, including the cashew milk—not 10½–13½ cups of broth plus the milk.

Warm gently as needed.

6. Add the tiny finishing seasonings

Stir in ⅜ teaspoon MSG until dissolved. Turn off the heat, then stir in 1½ teaspoons apple-cider vinegar.

Taste a spoonful after it has cooled enough to judge properly. These are deliberately restrained additions; do not automatically add more vinegar or MSG. Add another small pinch of salt only if the soup genuinely needs it.

Serve plain or with a little parsley. Any extra salt, oil, seeds, or bread should be counted separately.

Calories and serving size

Calculated estimate: approximately 2,740 calories for the entire pot, or 152 calories per eighteenth of the finished batch.

That calculation assumes the stated raw, edible ingredient weights, the two reference products, and all 10½ cups / 2,520 mL of broth. It counts the full olive oil amount rather than guessing how much might remain on the baking sheet.

The squash, onion, oil, and garlic figures use USDA Standard Reference data reproduced by MyFoodData; the liquid figures come from the manufacturers’ labels. The small-seasoning allowance avoids pretending that spoonfuls of fresh herbs have precisely known weights. (MyFoodData — raw butternut squash; Pacific Foods; Silk)

Using only the initial 7½ cups of broth reduces the total to approximately 2,710 calories, or 151 calories per eighteenth. That difference is small enough that 152 per eighteenth remains a sensible logging estimate.

What exactly is one serving?

One serving is one-eighteenth of the finished soup’s weight, excluding the pot. It is not automatically one cup or a fixed number of grams.

After blending and making the final liquid adjustment, weigh the soup in a tared container—or subtract the empty pot’s weight from the filled pot’s weight, provided your scale can safely handle it. Stir thoroughly, then divide the net weight by eighteen.

For example:

These are examples, not promised yields. Defining servings this way accounts for the water lost during roasting and simmering without requiring you to dilute the soup to an arbitrary target weight.

For a bowl of any size:

Bowl calories ≈ 2,740 × bowl weight in grams ÷ finished batch weight in grams.

So, if the finished soup weighs 6,000 g, a 400 g bowl is approximately 183 calories.

The arithmetic is reproducible, but the result is still a food-composition estimate: squash naturally varies, and package labels are rounded. About 152 calories per eighteenth of this measured-ingredient batch is the useful number—not a claim of laboratory precision.

Sodium

With the reference broth and milk, 4.5 g salt, and 1.5 g MSG, the calculated estimate is approximately 210 mg sodium per eighteenth of the pot, before extra seasoning or toppings. The main contributions to the whole batch are about 1,260 mg from broth, 450 mg from cashew milk, 1,770 mg from salt, and 180 mg from MSG, plus the small amount naturally present in the vegetables. MSG contributes sodium; it is not sodium-free. (Pacific Foods; Silk)